Rise from the Ashes
by ruckus0223
Summary: When all that is good burns to the ground, hope prevails. Reviews are greatly appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, so more or less, this is my first fanfiction. I started this story on another account years ago, which is why this first chapter may be recognized from another story. THIS IS NOT PLAGIARISM! I am the same author simply with a new account. Criticism is appreciated.**

 _It was all her fault._ They were everywhere, the cameras, the flashes. They were blinding her. Too many people, too many voices. She couldn't breath.

 _All her fault, all her fault._

They were shouting and shoving, getting closer and closer. She shrieked and crouched down, curling into herself, rocking back and forth.

 _All her fault._

The darkness was overwhelming. It coiled around her, tighter and tighter, threatening to tear her apart.

A hand closed around her wrist. She cried and screamed, anything to get away, but the grip was strong, she couldn't break it.

"No!" Pulling and thrashing, the man held on, guiding her through the crowd. The noise faded.

 _All her fault, all her fault._

She looked up into the man's face. He wasn't one of them. _He wasn't one of them, they were gone._ He looked weary, but it was his eyes, full of sorrow and compassion that said she was safe. The man wrapped his arms around her. She collapsed, trembling and broken.

 _All her fault._


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so the first chapter was more like a prologue, so this could be considered the real first chapter… Anyway, it is set up in different parts so that you can get a feel for where all of the characters are at this point. Hope you enjoy. R &R.**

Mr. and Mrs. Potter sat at the table in grim silence.

"It's started then," Mrs. Potter whispered.

The door slammed, footsteps thundered down the hallway. James burst into the room, a carefree smile plastered across his face. Mr. Potter had to look away. How could a child grow up in a world like this?

Mrs. Potter reached for the boy's hand. "James, sit down," she let go a shuddering breath. "There's been an attack." The smile was gone, replaced by an expression that weighed more than his years.

"It was Lily."

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He didn't hear her screamimg at him, didn't see her blast his name off the wall. He was consumed by his anger.

He threw clothes haphazardly into his trunk. His head hadn't caught completely caught up to what he was doing just yet but when it did he was already at the door.

She was still shouting. "Where do you think you're going to go? What could you possibly do? You have nothing!"

He was outside now. He turned to face her. He was not running, he was free of his cage, of the chains that held him there.

"I'm done."

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He looked at her for a long, hard moment. "How could you not tell me?"

She curled into herself. "I couldn't, I swore an oath," her voice was barely a whisper.

He slammed his fist against the table. "Do you have _any_ idea what it was like? Seeing you on that table, not knowing whether or not you would ever wake up again?"

"I'm so sorry, Frank," her voice shook.

"How long?" she looked away from him. "Goddamnit, Alice how long has this been going on?"

Her voice was low and quiet, "A year."

He stood up, "Alice, I love you, you have to know that. But I can't watch you throw your life away. I can't sit back and watch as you get yourself killed." He went to the door, she followed him.

"Frank, what are you doing?" he opened the door, "Wait, Frank, please—"

"Goodbye, Alice." The door shut behind him.

She fell on her knees, "I love you, too."

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She woke up to white. White walls, white sheets, white everything.

"Miss Evans, it's good to see you're awake. Do you remember what happened?" She shook her head and looked up at him with those wide green orbs, frightened. "Don't worry, you're in Mungo's. You are perfectly safe."

 _Safe._ The word echoed in her head like it would down a long tunnel.

"Miss Evans, you were attacked last night."

Flashes. Flashes of blood and cruel smiles and pain, so much pain. Her whole body was trembling.

"Miss Evans please calm down."

She was screaming. _So much pain._

"Get the sedatives."

And the white was black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello fan-friends! I know that I'm a tragically horrible updater. I apologize for the short, inconsistent chapters that I've been posting. I hope that, now that it's summer, I will have a lot more time on my hands. And for the record, some reviews would really inspire me to write more. So please read and review! On to the chapter.**

If one had seen Sirius Black the night he left, one would have thought the world against him. Rain poured down in sheets, soaking his clothes and seeping down into his very bones, flooding the streets. So much so, that every step landed in a puddle and every car splashed him as it passed. Nothing could be heard save the howling wind blowing in all directions and the occasional snap of a tree branch.

If one had seen Sirius Black the night he left, one would have seen his hunched gait and weary movement as he lugged his trunk behind him. One would have heard the curse he let out every time said trunk caught in a crack in the pavement. On and on he went for miles and miles. He never once stopped or sat down. He just kept walking.

If one had been able to hear the sound of Sirius Black's thoughts spinning around in his head, one would have heard every single insulting, prejudice remark he had ever heard. One would know the guilt he felt over never having said anything, never having stood up. That is, until that night.

If one had ever known Sirius Black, one would be speechless. Not once had he ever had anything but a smile on his face and a joke on his lips. For, you see, Sirius Black suffered more than anyone knew. Anyone except for his closest friends. And that was precisely where he was going. He walked the same path he had walked almost every day over the summers. The path that led to a kind of warmth and laughter that he had never known before he met the Potters.

Sirius Black looked up to the Potters. They never judged him for his name or looked down on others of muggle birth. They had always treated him like a son and made him feel loved. Sirius cared for the Potters more than he had anyone else. They saved him from the life of darkness and treachery that had been laid out before him. He had never said it, and he didn't have to, but he thought of them as his real family.

If one had seen Sirius Black as he climbed those remaining steps of the porch and rung the bell, one would have seen James Potter open that door. Nothing would be said for a moment. Then, James Potter would throw his arm over Sirius' shoulder and walk him inside. He would understand, as brothers do, what had happened and what he could do for his friend. They would go upstairs and unpack Sirius' things in James' room. Not because there wasn't enough space, but because Sirius had been alone for long enough.

If one had seen Sirius Black the night he left, one would have seen a house with illuminated windows and a happy family sitting around a table. One would have heard laughter filling every available space. And one would have seen Sirius Black where he belonged.

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Lily Evans spent much of her stay in Mungo's looking out windows. She never thought about anything in particular, she just watched. It distracted her from thinking about the particular things. She tried to avoid them as much as she could, the Particulars. If seeing a bird chase a squirrel was her best form of entertainment, so be it. It was best to keep busy, she had decided. If you don't think about it, then you don't worry about it.

It was one such time, looking out a window of course, that the nurse came in.

"Ms. Evans, you have a visitor," she said pleasantly, as nurses do.

Lily didn't know how she felt about a visitor. But, what was there to do? "Alright," she said. The nurse smiled and hurried out of the room.

A moment or two of window-staring later and Professor Dumbledore came in. He walked with small steps beneath his cloak. "Good morning, Ms. Evans." There was a gleam in his eyes hidden behind the infamous half moon-spectacles.

Lily wanted to smile at him but found it wouldn't come out quite right. "Good morning, Professor."

Dumbledore sat in the chair against the wall. "It is a pleasure to see you again. Although I am sorry for the circumstances." He held her gaze for a long moment, searching for something. What that was she didn't know. "I was so worried when I heard what had happened. How are you handling things?"

Lily looked down at her hands. "As best I can."

Dumbledore offered a small smile. "You are a very brave girl, Ms. Evans."

Her hands shook. She wasn't brave. She wasn't brave at all. This was all her fault.

Dumbledore continued, "I came to discuss the matter of your schooling. Please know you will be given as much time as you need - "

Lily looked up, "That won't be a problem, Professor. The doctors say I should be ok come September."

"I am happy to hear it. Also, as you know, you were chosen as Head Girl. You are welcome to resign from or remain in that position as you see fit."

"Thank you, Professor. I would very much like to stay Head Girl," she hesitated. "I will be grateful for the distraction."

Dumbledore gave her a concerned look. "Well then," he said. "That is all." He stood up. Just before he left he said, "Please remember, Ms. Evans, that my door is always open should you ever need to talk." With that, he left the room and Lily was alone.

She clenched her fists to stop their shaking and turned back to the window. So caught up in the particular thoughts, she didn't notice the tears roll down her cheeks.


End file.
